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Deaths reported in Pakistan 'drone strike'

At least four people killed in suspected US missile strike near town of Datta Khel, according to intelligence officials.

30 Oct 2011 09:19 GMT

Pakistanis in Islamabad rallied against drone raids last week, saying most of those killed are ordinary civilians [EPA]

At least four people have been killed in a suspected US drone raid in northwestern Pakistan, intelligence officials say.

The unmanned aircraft fired several missiles at a vehicle as it drove through a village near Datta Khel, near the Afghan border, on Sunday.

A house was also partly destroyed in the attack, according to the officials. The identities of the dead were not clear.

There was no independent confirmation of the incident that occurred in a remote region where journalists are not allowed.

Datta Khel is an important base for the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban and also for al-Qaeda. The US has carried out many strikes in the area in the past, although Washington refuses to acknowledge the CIA-run drone programme in Pakistan publicly.

Nearly 60 drone strikes have been reported in Pakistan so far this year, dozens of them since elite forces killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the garrison city of Abbottabad in May.

Around 2,000 Pakistanis staged a demonstration outside the parliament in Islamabad on Friday to demand an end to US drone strikes, claiming they kill more innocent civilians than fighters.